


Un Último Adiós

by Cambetaut



Category: The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-27
Updated: 2017-03-27
Packaged: 2018-10-11 10:33:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10462908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cambetaut/pseuds/Cambetaut
Summary: The first time he tried, with adrenaline still pumping through him, he had almost succeeded. Faraday's mistake was looking into his eyes, those familiar dark orbs full of so much life. It suddenly made him realize the gravity of what he was about to do, the overwhelming force of it nearly causing him to lose his grip on Maria. This time though, the third time, he should be able to go through with it. The gun’s already aimed...





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MistMarauder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistMarauder/gifts).



> Okay, so I feel that I should give you fair warning, I've been told this is rather sad.

Faraday never really believed it would happen. Well, he at least assumed he would go first, considering how many times he’s been surprised with a gun to the head, barely managing to make it out of his latest misadventure. There’s a chance he knew in the very back of his mind that he’d have to face this sort of thing some day, but he’d buried it back there for a good reason. 

This is threatening to tear him apart, all the grief and disbelief mixing together and leaving him feeling drained. Trying to hold it all in is probably the hardest part, trying to keep the tears from spilling down his cheeks, but every now and then one manages to fall without his consent.

He takes a deep breath, trying to tell himself for the thousandth time that he can do this, that he has to do this. Faraday’s hand trembles as he raises the pistol, and even trying to steady it with his other one does nothing to help.

A surge of emotion crests over him again, like a tidal wave that he’s incapable of escaping. Tears well behind his eyes without permission, suddenly threatening to slide down his cheeks, to follow the trail of those that managed to fall before. He tries to blink them away, determined not to let them out, desperately hoping that he might just be able to crush the emotion down to a manageable level. He won’t let himself cry, not now, not yet anyway. Later, when he wakes in the night like always, he’ll let them fall as freely as they wish, but he’s got to do this first, because if he lets these tears fall now he’s not going to be able to keep up his courage.

The hammer of the gun feels so heavy all of a sudden, like he hasn’t been pulling it back for countless years with practiced ease. Killing a man has never taken a second thought, those situations are all about life and death, and Faraday isn’t exactly the kind of man to just sit back and let himself get shot. But this? This is pure torture. Trying to pull back the tiny piece of metal enough that it’ll click into place so he can shoot has to be one of the hardest things he’s ever done in his life. 

He hasn’t managed to pull it back but a scant millimeter when his resolve fades, and he slowly relinquishes the pressure of his thumb on the hammer, letting it slide back into place. His arms lower, still shaking, and he hates himself for not being able to go through with it, and even more for letting this happen. 

Faraday looks away from Jack, one lonesome, traitorous tear trailing down his cheek that he’s quick to swipe away.

“Güerito,” Vasquez says behind him, voice full of pity, “ I can-”

“No,” he interrupts. “No, he’s my horse, I should be the one to do it.”

He tells himself to get a grip, forcing his arm back up to aim just an inch or two above the swirl of hair in the center of Jack’s face, right between his eyes. He’s always been told it’s painless to do it right in that spot, but is it really? Now that Faraday’s faced with shooting his own horse he wonders if it is really as quick and painless as they say. Chances are that’s just something people tell themselves so they don’t feel so bad about it, but even if Jack won’t be able to feel a damn thing Faraday’s going to feel bad, because this is all his fault.

If he had been paying attention he might have noticed the gopher hole, but he wasn’t. Jack’s foot went straight down the damn thing, and maybe if they had been going slower it might not have mattered, but the horse came to a sudden halt, and Faraday went flying over his head. Going from steadily riding along to face first in the dirt was certainly a surprise, hell the whole thing was a surprise, and when Faraday looked back to see his dear horse, with a very broken leg, it broke his heart. He tried to reason with himself that Jack would get better, he had to get better, or what would Faraday do? Vasquez didn’t say or do much, listening as Faraday rambled about fetching an animal doctor and binding up the leg and any manner of things that he thought might be able to fix this, but in the end, they were stuck in the middle of nowhere, the closest town four days away, and only one thing left to do. 

The first time he tried, with adrenaline still pumping through him, he had almost succeeded. His mistake was looking into Jack’s eyes, those familiar dark orbs full of so much life. It suddenly made him realize the gravity of what he was about to do, the overwhelming force of it nearly causing him to lose his grip on Maria.

This time though, the third time, he should be able to go through with it. The gun’s already aimed a few inches above the swirl of hair in the center of Jack’s face, but there’s still the matter of cocking the hammer. The slow and agonizing pull of it is manageable, when enough determination is put behind it. So, here he is again, staring down the barrel of his gun, poised to shoot Jack into the bliss of death, but his trigger finger is frozen, and he just can’t seem to make himself pull the damn thing. Jack, who has been with him for ages. Dear Jack, who was his only friend for so long, who means the world to Faraday; this can’t really be happening. He can’t just shoot his horse in the head and walk away like it means nothing to him, because Jack has always been more than just a horse. He’s been the only one there for Faraday for so long. He's been a shoulder to cry on, a companion, his best friend; Faraday’s as likely to go through with this as he is to shoot his own dick off.

He lets his arm fall again, sighing in defeat as Vasquez gently takes the pistol from his hand. Faraday can only manage to look down at his boots, trying to hold himself together, to keep the riptide of emotions within him from pouring out, but another tear falls from his lashes, sailing down to land on one of his boots. He just stares at the dark circle it makes, a tiny patch of wet on the otherwise dry and dust-covered leather, the stark contrast it creates, and he absently thinks it’s been quite a while since his boots have been anything near clean. 

Vasquez’s empty hand comes to rest lightly on Faraday’s shoulder, causing the gambler to look up at him. 

The sorrow and pity on the other man’s face makes him want to burst into tears, but instead Faraday embraces him, burying his face in his lover’s neck.

“Oh, cariño,” Vasquez breathes against his copper hair, rubbing comforting circles on his back. 

“I can’t do it,” he chokes out, holding onto the fabric of the Mexican’s vest like it’s the only thing keeping him together. 

Vasquez just stays silent, but they both know what has to happen now, there's no need for any words to pass between them for Faraday’s partner to understand that the task has been handed to him. Faraday holds on tighter, if at all possible, as he feels the other man raising his arm. Despite knowing that the shot would come, he still flinches. 

He can’t hold it in any more, suddenly it’s too much, more emotion than he could ever hope to keep contained, and he’s practically bawling, his whole body wracked by sobs. 

Faraday can feel Vasquez sliding Maria back into her holster gently, and then both of the Mexican’s arms are wrapping tightly around him, holding Faraday close. He lets himself cry, cradled in the arms of the only man he’d ever allow to see him in this sort of state. There’s no point in trying to contain his pain anymore, because it’s done, and he can only hope to cry now so he might not have to again later, but that’s probably just a fool’s hope. 

They stay like that, for how long exactly he isn’t sure. It's probably whole minutes until the tears have stopped and his breathing has slowed, punctuated now and then by stuttering gasps. He doesn’t want to look back, yet he’d like to say goodbye before they leave, even if the horse is probably nothing more than a grotesque husk of what he once was. Faraday would like to bury Jack, can’t stand the thought of just leaving his body there to rot in the sun and get eaten by coyotes or any other creatures that happen along. Even if they did have a shovel, it would take hours to dig a hole, not to mention the enormous task of actually putting the body in it, which may not be possible, even with the considerable strength between him and Vasquez. No, a final goodbye is all he’ll be able to manage, even if Jack deserves so much more. 

Faraday backs away from the hug, about to turn around to do just that, but Vasquez stops him as he’s turning his head, a calloused hand just forceful enough on his cheek to keep him from completing the action.

“Don’t.” 

He hesitates, looking into Vasquez’s dark eyes, and a wave of emotion crashes over him again. No, the man is probably right, the image is likely to give him nightmares for years to come, and he’s got enough of them already; particularly associated with his daring adventure concerning the gatling gun at Rose Creek. 

“He looks peaceful, right?” His voice cracks, a stray tear falling down his cheek. 

Vasquez swipes it away with the pad of his thumb, his touch so gentle it’s almost like he’s afraid Faraday might break under his touch. “Just like he’s sleeping.”

That’s a lie if he's ever heard one, but he’s certainly not going to say anything about it. 

Faraday lets out a shaky breath as his partner begins to lead him towards Maria, who is saddled and ready to go, blissfully ignorant of the atrocity that just took place a few feet away. He feels empty and desolate, like his heart has turned into a parched desert. There’s still so much sadness and pain seated in his soul, the crushing weight of his despair threatening to suffocate him. His eyes sting, from so many tears, but thankfully they’ve stopped falling, for now. It’s inevitable that he’ll cry some more, when he remembers that his horse is gone, that Jack will never be a part of his life again. 

When they’re both seated on Maria, Vasquez clicks softly to her, urging her to take them away from this wretched place. He murmurs in Spanish as they go along, in that soft way of his, low and smooth. He usually only does it when Faraday wakes in the middle of the night, lashing out at people that aren’t there, or sometimes when they make love languidly, like there’s nowhere in the world they’d rather be. Faraday’s never quite sure what’s being said to him, it could easily just be a bunch of nonsense, but it’s comforting, and gives him something to focus on, which is exactly what he needs right now. 

Faraday chances one glance back, just as they top a hill, and from here he can’t see much more than a slumped brown figure in the distance. It does look like Jack’s sleeping. He tightens his arms around Vasquez, burying his face in the back of the other man’s neck. The next few days are going to be rough, but at least he’s not alone; Vasquez will be the only thing that gets him through this, and he’s never been more thankful to have the other man in his life.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading <3 Comments are always appreciated.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Un Último Adiós](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12171063) by [MistMarauder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistMarauder/pseuds/MistMarauder)




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